As the hosts, Zhang Yang and his team members exchanged some simple greetings and then started the battle of the drinking table.

You gotta admit, they're all robust young guys, and their drinking prowess when gathered is really exaggerated.

The ten-plus cases of beer stacked there didn't last till the end, and Brother Meng had to call the supermarket to deliver another ten cases of Tsingtao to barely get through the drinking party.

Leading as the host, Zhang Yang inevitably got poured too much. Despite considering himself a decent drinker, he was plied with nearly twenty bottles of beer and felt woozy.

He forced himself to sustain until the end of the party and only when everyone else was settled did he succumb to the intoxication and sleep soundly on Brother Meng's camp bed.

When he woke up, it was already evening. Zhang Yang rubbed his still tipsy head, got out of bed, and glanced outside the window.

The chaotic battlefield had been cleaned up. Many cars were still parked in the fishing ground parking lot, but both those from out of town and Wang Yan's group were nowhere to be found.

His memory was blank, a complete blackout.

"Brother Meng, where are Wang Yan and the guys who came to challenge us?" Zhang Yang staggered off the bed and shouted to Meng Xiangqiu in the yard.

"Oh? The War God of the drinking table has woken up?" Meng Xiangqiu smirked at Zhang Yang, greeted him teasingly, and pulled out a cigarette, tossing one to Zhang Yang.

"Uh, I'm awake, but my head still hurts a bit!"

Zhang Yang accepted the cigarette and searched his pockets but couldn't find a lighter.

Brother Meng tossed over his lighter and, drawing smoke, said, "Those wild drinkers were too intense! We caused a ruckus until nearly three in the afternoon before wrapping up!

Don't worry, I found them a big van to bring them to Happy Times in the city! Wang Yan and Zhou Chu didn't drink much, and left very clear-headed, and Little Meng was with them!"

Happy Times is a well-known karaoke in the city, with decent software and hardware. For a gathering with dozens of people, going there is a good choice; it's close to the hotel and buffet restaurant, making arrangements easy.

Both Zhou Chu and Meng Fan are steady people. With them watching, there shouldn't be any problems.

"Oh, oh! Thanks for the trouble, Brother Meng! Did Wang Yan settle the bill for the feast?"

"Settled! You guys downed thirty-five cases of beer alone.

As if that's not enough, after drinking, you said my fried chicken was delicious and insisted I fry more. This service industry is tough!"

Meng Xiangqiu griped like a nagging old woman.

"Uh, hehe!"

Zhang Yang faintly remembered the noon drinking session where he insisted Brother Meng fry chicken, the loudest voice being his own.

"Want me to get you some tea to sober you up a bit? You doing okay?"

"I'm fine! Sorry for the trouble!"

"Darn, stop with the pretentious talk!"

...

A grand offline fish fry has thus concluded. The offline challenge from Eight Hundred-Pound Brother was deftly handled by Zhang Yang, and the supporting friends had a blast, leaving only the next day.

However, even though the event is over, its impact hasn't faded. Especially after the new episode of Black Pit Jianghu's offline challenge Eight Hundred-Pound Brother special edition video was uploaded, it sparked a fresh round of discussion in the black pit circle.

Turns out the carp in black pits can be played like this? This revelation gave black pit experts, who thought flying copy method was the technical pinnacle, new goals and pursuits. Zhang Yang's name has been once again widely mentioned in the domestic black pit community.

...

Unknowingly, half a month has passed.

During this time, Zhang Yang and Brother Meng Fan continued their regular fishing live streams from their base according to normal broadcast schedules.

Thanks to these frequent live streams, the Wild Fishing Jianghu account successfully broke the 200,000-follower barrier, and the live stream room was booming with activity.

...

Meanwhile, while Zhang Yang was smoothly implementing his plan to expand his personal brand and influence through self-media platforms, Liu Xingyun hasn't been having much luck lately.

After he took Zhang Yang's forward-thinking advice, compiled materials, and presented them to his own boss, not only did it not receive the company's attention, it actually had an unexpected negative repercussion.

The original operations department only had Liu Xingyun as the manager. The boss, Wang Henan, trusted him exceptionally and their communication had always been smooth and harmonious.

However, not long ago, Wang Henan appointed two deputy managers in the operations department, ostensibly to share Liu Xingyun's workload, but in reality, it was to somewhat reduce his authority, which left Liu Xingyun feeling conflicted.

The new deputy managers were primarily focusing on signing potential star broadcasters and industry celebrities for the platform.

If it were merely this, it wouldn't matter much, as Liu Xingyun's status didn't rely on these performances.

What made him feel uneasy was that the new deputy manager got contract quotes for some influencers that Liu Xingyun hadn't been able to secure before, sparking a risky thought in Old Liu's mind.

Recognizing the anomaly, Liu Xingyun started to pay extra attention to the tiny shifts and changes within the company over the next few days.

As a seasoned workplace veteran, he quickly realized that his previous suspicions were not unfounded; his boss was indeed consciously diminishing his influence within the company.

Having fought in the trenches as brothers since the startup days, Liu Xingyun found this baffling and felt he had no suitable friends to vent his emotions to. Over the past few days, he's been downcast, clocking out early, and often drinking until he's hammered.

That day, a little past nine in the evening, Zhang Yang had just returned home with Meng Fan and the others from having skewers outside and hadn't even showered yet when his phone rang.

Upon hearing the ringtone of the International Anthem, Zhang Yang was momentarily stunned; his work phone and personal phone are separate, and at such an hour, who from the company would be calling him?

He took out his phone and glanced at it, seeing it was Liu Xingyun in his contacts. Zhang Yang was a bit surprised, but he hesitated only a half-second before answering.

"Hello? Minister Liu, what instructions do you have this late?" Zhang Yang answered with a very courteous tone, acknowledging the other's position.

"Zhang Yang?" Liu Xingyun's speech was tinged with obvious signs of booze.

"It's me! What's up with you? Had a bit to drink tonight?" Zhang Yang frowned and asked.

"Are you free now? I'd like to talk with you!"

"Uh, talk about what? Contract stuff? You've brought that up plenty of times already, you know my stance!"

Zhang Yang assumed the other was using alcohol to push him to sign a contract, so he planned to calmly reject it.

"Not talking business today! You did say we're friends!"

"Okay! What do you want to chat about? A small talk then!" Zhang Yang was a bit surprised but sat back on the couch anyway.

Soon, Liu Xingyun started from his last conversation with Zhang Yang, continuing with the latest company events, and bits of rumors he heard from various sources.

Listening to Liu Xingyun's continuous rambling, Zhang Yang quickly understood his meaning; indeed, this guy wasn't looking to discuss contract deals but was seeking solace and comfort instead.

Ordinarily, while they talked of friendship, their ties were not deep enough for heartfelt disclosures; casual relations risk deep conversations.

However, Zhang Yang's temperament is not like those pragmatic types; he indeed had offered Liu Xingyun advice and friendship before. Now that the other sought him for some soothing talk, without it affecting himself, Zhang Yang was willing to chat a bit.

"Got it! Calling me, there's surely more than just these trivial matters, right?" Zhang Yang directly asked after listening.

After a two-second pause, Liu Xingyun continued, "A new company's headhunter has been approaching me, wanting to entice me with a high salary to jump ship. I'm undecided!

What you mentioned about the platform before, I've mulled over several times, it indeed makes sense. Facing this situation now, I want your opinion!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yang felt intrigued and guessed tentatively, "Was it ByteDance or Kuaishou trying to lure you?"

It was now Liu Xingyun's turn to be surprised!

Even though he hadn't revealed any useful info, Zhang Yang pinpointed the company trying to poach him in one shot!